Inclusive video-conference system and method

ABSTRACT

Exemplary embodiments are directed to an inclusive video conferencing system having one or more input devices configured to receive conversational data according to a first video conferencing mode and data from a remote computing device identifying a second conferencing mode. A processing device configured to activate a video conferencing interface according to the second video conferencing mode of the remote computing device and process the conversational data for presentation in a format compatible with the second video conferencing mode. An output device configured to send the processed conversational data to the remote computing device.

FIELD

The present disclosure is related to a video conferencing system, andparticularly a video conferencing system that allows communication for aplurality of language speakers and those with physical disabilities.

BACKGROUND

Persons with disabilities or physical impairments are importantcontributors to society and efforts of integrating them into everydaysocietal activities has led to major advances in technology. Thetechnological advancements have not only improves the lives of thosewith disabilities, but it has had a positive effect on the userexperiences as a whole. Improvements are prevalent intelecommunications, where advancements are used to provide the disabledaccess to applications, resources, solutions tied to the Internet.

Known systems described in US 2009/0037171, US 2012/0316882, and U.S.Pat. No. 8,566,077, EP 0658854 describe systems which can convertcommunication or conversational data received in one format into anotherformat. For example, US 2009/0037171 describes a system which providesreal-time voice transcription for speech and spatial-temporal acousticdata through speech recognition and speaker identification. US2012/0316882 describes a system that generates captions for live videobroadcasts or non-live broadcasts. U.S. Pat. No. 8,566,077 discloses asystem and method that translates digital sign language of words,letters, and numbers. EP 0658854 describes a method and apparatus thatdisplays sign language images for document data, speech data, and imagedata.

Presently, persons who have auditory, visual, and/or verbal impairmentshave challenges interacting with smart-home systems and/orInternet-of-Things technology. Currently, there is no video conferencingsystem that provides translation and/or transcription services for usersof various linguistic backgrounds and/or various physical impairments.

SUMMARY

An exemplary method is disclosed, comprising: generating, in aprocessing device of a computing device, a first graphical interface forinitiating a video conferencing session; receiving, via at least oneinput device of the computing device, a first video conferencing modefor a caller using the first graphical interface; determining, via theprocessing device of the customer premise device, a second videoconferencing mode for a callee participating in the video conferencingsession at a remote device; activating, in the processing device of thecomputing device, a video conferencing interface according to the secondvideo conferencing mode of the callee; receiving, via the at least oneinput device of the computing device, conversational data from thecaller in a format associated with the first video conferencing modeduring the video conferencing session; processing, via the processingdevice of the computing device, the conversational data for presentationto the callee in a format associated with the second video conferencingmode; and sending, via an output device of the customer premise device,the processed conversational data to the remote computing device.

An exemplary system is disclosed, comprising: one or more input devicesconfigured to receive conversational data according to a first videoconferencing mode and data from a remote computing device identifying asecond conferencing mode; a processing device configured to activate avideo conferencing interface according to the second video conferencingmode of the remote computing device and process the conversational datafor presentation in a format compatible with the second videoconferencing mode; and an output device configured to send the processedconversational data to the remote computing device.

An exemplary non-transitory computer readable medium storing programcode which causes a processing device to perform a method is disclosed,the method comprising the steps of: generating, in a processing deviceof a computing device, a first graphical interface for initiating avideo conferencing session; receiving, via at least one input device ofthe computing device, a first video conferencing mode for a caller usingthe first graphical interface; determining, via the processing device ofthe customer premise device, a second video conferencing mode for acallee participating in the video conferencing session at a remotedevice; activating, in the processing device of the computing device, avideo conferencing interface according to the second video conferencingmode of the callee; receiving, via the at least one input device of thecomputing device, conversational data from the caller in a formatassociated with the first video conferencing mode during the videoconferencing session; processing, via the processing device of thecomputing device, the conversational data for presentation to the calleein a format associated with the second video conferencing mode; andsending, via an output device of the customer premise device, theprocessed conversational data to the remote computing device.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary inclusive video conferencing system forconducting a video conference in accordance with an exemplary embodimentof the present disclosure.

FIG. 2A illustrates a network environment operable to facilitate aninteractive video system in accordance with an exemplary embodiment ofthe present disclosure.

FIG. 2B is a block diagram of a system of hardware and softwarestructure of a network environment operable to generate an inclusivevideo conferencing system and method in accordance with an exemplaryembodiment.

FIG. 3 illustrates a transition diagram for conducting an inclusivevideo conference in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 4 illustrates a method for conducting an inclusive video conferenceat a server device in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 5 illustrates a method for conducting an inclusive video conferenceat a remote computing device in accordance with an exemplary embodimentof the present disclosure.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of a hardware configuration operable togenerate an inclusive video conferencing system and method in accordancewith an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to aninclusive video conference (IVC) system and method. The IVC system isbased on a disability inclusion design principle and provides methodsthat includes use of multiple hardware, software subcomponents whichenables a video conferencing solution for a Smart media device (SMD)that is inclusive and accessible to persons of varied languages andphysical impairments. The exemplary IVC system described herein canreceive conversational data for a video conference from each participantand process the received data so that it can be presented to anothervideo conference participant in a format suitable for them tounderstand.

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary IVC system 100 for conducting aninclusive video conference in accordance with an exemplary embodiment ofthe present disclosure.

As shown in FIG. 1, the IVC system 100 can include a combination ofhardware and software components for enabling video conferencing accessto persons having diverse languages and physical challenges.

The IVC system 100 can be configured as a smart media hub that includesone or more input devices 102 configured to receive conversational dataaccording to a first communication mode and data from a remote deviceidentifying a second communication mode. For example, the one or moreinput devices 102 can include far-field microphones for receiving aspeech or voice input, a video or still-image camera for receiving avideo stream or a plurality of images, a physical or virtual keyboard, atouch display or other suitable input device as desired. Theconversational data can include one or more of live text, speech orvoice, with or without live video. According to an exemplary embodiment,the conversational data can also include live video of sign languageperformed by a user. The IVC system 100 can include a processing device104 having one on or more modules for performing operations andfunctions for facilitating an interactive video conference. Theprocessing device 104 can be configured to include a graphical interfacemodule 110 for generating one or more control signals for displaying agraphical interface for a video conference on a display device 108. Thegraphical interface 110 can be used to select one of a plurality ofvideo conferencing modes for a caller participating in a videoconferencing session. According to an exemplary embodiment, theprocessing device 104 can communicate the one or more control signals tothe display device 108 via a display interface 112. The displayinterface 112 can include a combination of hardware and softwarecomponents for converting the control signals into a format and protocolsuitable for communicating with the display device 108 to which it isconnected. The display device 108 can include any of a liquid crystaldisplay (LCD), light-emitting diode (LED), organic light emitting diode(OLED), electroluminescent display (ELD), plasma display panels (PDP),quantum dot light emitting diode (QLED), or any other suitable displaytechnology as desired.

According to an exemplary embodiment, the plurality of videoconferencing modes in which a caller initiates video conferencingsession to communicate conversational data with a callee can include,for example, a normal mode, hearing impaired mode, visually impairedmode, and a speech impaired mode. The normal mode can define a videoconferencing session in which a caller communicates with a calleeaccording to a voice, video, and/or text input. According to anexemplary embodiment, the voice and/or text input can be received in anative language of the callee. According to an exemplary embodiment, inthe hearing impaired mode and/or speech impaired modes the processingdevice 104 can be configured to activate one or more input devices whichare suitable for the caller to input conversational data by voice, text,or sign language. According to an exemplary embodiment, a video cameracan be used to input conversational data using sign language. Theprocessing device 104 can be configured to execute a hearing/speechimpaired module 114, which performs image processing (e.g., recognition)on the captured video images according to known algorithms to identifythe words, phrases, and/or characters spoken by the caller. According toanother exemplary embodiment, the one or more input devices can includea Braille-enabled touch device for inputting or outputting sensory datato a user. When the Braille-enabled touch device is used, the processingdevice 104 can be configured to execute a visually impaired module 116,which performs one or more algorithms for encoding conversational datareceived from a callee or decoding conversational data input by acaller. According to an exemplary embodiment, the processing device canbe configured to execute any combination of the hearing impaired moduleand the visually impaired module based on the one or more active inputdevices and/or video conferencing mode selected by the caller.

According to yet another exemplary embodiment, the IVC system 100 caninclude a memory device 118, which stores data identifying a preferredvideo conference mode of the caller. For example, the data can be storedin association with a user profile of the caller or stored inassociation with a last video conferencing session and/or videoconferencing history of the caller.

The processing device 104 can also be configured to determine a selectedvideo conferencing mode for one or more callees participating in thevideo conference session at a remote device. According to an exemplaryembodiment, the processing device 104 can be configured to obtain dataidentifying a preferred video conferencing mode of the callee. Forexample, the IVC system 100 can include a network interface 120 throughwhich the processing device 104 can send and receive signals forcommunicating with the remote device of the callee during a videoconferencing session. According to an exemplary embodiment, theprocessing device 104 can generate one or more signals for requestingvideo conferencing mode data from the remote device or the IVC system ofthe callee.

The processing device 104 can be configured to activate a videoconferencing interface for initiating the video conferencing sessionbetween the caller and one or more callees. For example, the processingdevice 104 can generate a video conferencing interface having one or acombination of windows according to a number of callees participating inthe video conferencing session according to the data related to theidentified conferencing modes of the caller and callee. According to anexemplary embodiment, the video conferencing interface can include oneor more tiled windows where each window corresponds to a specifiedcallee. According to another exemplary embodiment, the videoconferencing interface can include a main window with one or more nestedsub-windows, where each sub-window corresponds to a specified callee.

During the video conferencing session, the IVC system 100 can beconfigured to receive conversational data from the caller in a formatassociated with the caller's selected video conferencing mode. Theprocessing device 104 can be configured to process the conversationaldata for presentation to the callee in a format associated with thesecond video conferencing mode. The processing device 104 can include aconversion module 122 for converting the conversational data input bythe caller to another conversational data format suitable for receiptand/or understanding by the callee based on the callee's selected videoconferencing mode. Table 1 illustrates the conversions performed by theconversion module according to the selected video conferencing modes ofthe caller and callee for the video conferencing session.

TABLE 1 Caller's Video Callee's Video Conferencing Mode ConferencingMode Conversion Type Normal (Language 1) Normal (Language 2) Translationcum transcription (text) Normal Hearing Impaired Speech-to-text SpeechImpaired Normal Sign Language to Text Normal Hearing ImpairedText/Speech to Sign Language Speech Impaired Visually Impaired SignLanguage to Text Text to Speech Normal Visually Impaired Text or Speechto Speech Impaired Braille-enabled touch Hearing Impaired sensory data

As shown in Table 1, the processing device 104 via the conversion module122 can be configured to execute and/or access one or more algorithmsfor performing the specified conversion. For example, the conversionmodule 122 can be configured with a neural network having one or moreconversion models trained to translate the input conversational data ofa caller to the conversational data format of a callee. According to anexemplary embodiment, the conversion module 122 can be furtherconfigured with known or proprietary integrated cloud applicationservices for supporting video conferencing with live linguistictranslation cum transcription, live speech-to-text transcription, signlanguage to text encoding/decoding services, text or speech to signlanguage video animation, sign language-to-text and text-to-speechsynthesis or any other suitable conversion services available throughcloud computing services.

The processing device 104 can be configured to provide the converted orprocessed data to the network interface 120 for sending the processedconversational data to the remote device of the callee via the network.

It should be understood that each IVC system 100 is configured fortwo-way communication with other client devices 202 during a videoconferencing session in that each IVC system operates both as a callerand callee ether in parallel or at various times during a videoconferencing session.

FIG. 2A illustrates a network environment 200 operable to facilitate aninteractive video system in accordance with an exemplary embodiment ofthe present disclosure.

The network environment 200 provides for the delivery of video, voice,and/or data services to one or more client devices 202, such as atelevision, a mobile device, a tablet, a computer, an IVC system 100, aconsumer premise device, or suitable computing device as desired.Multiple services may be delivered to client devices 202 over a local orhome network 206.

The local network 206 may include a local area network (LAN), wirelesslocal area network (WLAN), personal area network (PAN), mobile hotspotnetwork, and others. The local network 206 may be provided at asubscriber's premise or residence by a gateway device, modem device, asmart media device, or other suitable access device. It will beappreciated by those skilled in the relevant art that delivery of themultiple services over the local network 206 may be accomplished using avariety of standards and formats.

According to exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, multipleservices (e.g., video, voice, and/or data services) may be deliveredfrom a wide-area network (WAN) 208 to the local network 206 through aconnection to a subscriber network 210. The subscriber network mayinclude an optical network, hybrid fiber coaxial (HFC) network,twisted-pair, mobile network, high-speed data network, and others.Multiple systems operator (MSO) devices and/or network within the WAN208 may be used to provide, manage, and/or troubleshoot the multipleservices provided to subscribers.

It will be appreciated by those skilled in the relevant art that clientdevices 202 may be capable of interacting and communicating with eachother over various wireless communication standards (e.g., Wi-Fi,Bluetooth, etc.). The client devices 202 connected to a local or homenetwork 206 may receive services according to one or more subscriptionsbetween a subscriber and service provider.

According to exemplary embodiments, a client device 202 such as IVCsystem 100 can be configured to provide a subscriber with an interfacefor managing content received and displayed by one or more other targetdevices (e.g., client devices 202, smart televisions, STBs, smart mediadevices, and/or other device that may communicate over the home network206). For example, a subscriber can access an application such as anapplication for inclusive video conferencing.

A subscriber can initiate at a client device 202 (i.e., a control deviceand/or target device), an inclusive video conferencing application andprovide conversational data in a format specified by one or more otherusers participating in the video conferencing session.

The network environment 200 also includes one or more servers 220. Theservers can be configured to execute, access, and/or provideapplications and/or services used by the one or more client devices 202to establish and conduct a video conferencing session.

FIG. 2B is a block diagram of a hardware and software structure of thenetwork environment 200 operable to generate an inclusive videoconferencing system and method in accordance with an exemplaryembodiment.

As shown in FIG. 2B, the network environment 200 can have multiplelayers of functionality including a media layer 222, an applicationlayer 224, and an access layer 226. The network environment 200 can beconfigured to operate in a wide area network, cloud computingenvironment, or other suitable network or computing arrangement, inwhich data, audio and video content, and/or applications and servicescan be communicated (e.g., transmitted and/or received) with remote orclient devices using a real-time transport protocol by the one or moreservers 220. The media layer 222 can include a combination of hardwareand software systems, devices, and/or components for transmitting andreceiving audio, video, graphical, and multimedia content with remote orclient devices on the network during a video conferencing session. Forexample, the media layer can include video bridges 228 forinternetworking streaming video content from remote devices of differentusers. The application layer 224 includes a combination of hardware andsoftware devices, as provided for example in one or more servers 220,and can be configured to specify services and applications for access byremote devices over the network. The application layer 224 can alsospecify shared communications protocols and interface methods, such as areal-time transport protocol (RTP), Internet protocol or other suitableprotocol as desired, which is used by the servers 220 in communicatingwith clients and remote devices on the network. For example, theapplication layer 224 can include a Video Bridging Server 230 which isconfigured to provide bridging services for linking a plurality of userstogether in a video conferencing session using remote devices configuredfor audio and video communication. The application layer 224 can alsoinclude a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) Server 232 which isconfigured to establish an interaction between two more nodes or devicesfor exchanging information. According to an exemplary embodiment the SIPserver can be configured to enable voice over Internet Protocol (VOIP)connections. The application layer 224 can also include an applicationservices server 234 which can be configured with software or modules forproviding various cloud services such as, transcription services, signlanguage interpretation services (e.g., American Sign LanguageInterpretation), Braille interpretation services, and other servicesand/or applications suitable for an inclusive video conferencing systemand method according to exemplary embodiments disclosed herein. Theapplication layer 224 can also include a Session Establishment Server236 which can be configured to provide video conference session servicesfor a plurality of users at remote computing devices. The access layer226 includes a combination of hardware and software devices for enablingend-users or subscribers access to the audio, video, graphical, andmultimedia content provided by the media layer 222 and the applicationsand/or services provided by the application layer 226.

FIG. 3 illustrates a transition diagram 300 for conducting an inclusivevideo conference in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of thepresent disclosure.

As shown in FIG. 3, the IVC system 304 of a caller 302 can be used toinitiate a video conferencing session with the IVC system 308 of acallee 306. The caller 302 can select one of a plurality of videoconferencing modes. Once the caller has selected the video conferencingmode, the IVC system 304 can send a request via at least the subscribernetwork 210 to the IVC system 308 of the callee 304 for obtaining dataidentifying a selected video conferencing mode of the callee 306. Inresponse to the request, the IVC system 308 of the callee 306 sends therequested data to the IVC system 304 via the subscriber network 210. TheIVC system 304 activates a video conferencing interface for the videoconferencing session according to the first and second videoconferencing modes of the caller 302 and the callee 306. During thevideo conferencing session, the callee 306 inputs conversational data tothe IVC system 304 using one or more input devices 102. The IVC system304 can send the conversational data to the subscriber network 210 forconverting the conversational data input by the caller 304 toconversational data suitable for receipt by the callee 306 based on thecallee's 306 identified video conferencing mode. The IVC system 308 ofthe callee 306 receives the conversational data of the IVC system 204 ofthe caller 302 after processing on the subscriber network 210. The IVCsystem 308 outputs the conversational data of the caller 302 to thecallee 306 in the format associated with the selected video conferencingmode at the IVC system 308.

FIG. 4 illustrates a method 400 for conducting an inclusive videoconference (IVC) at a remote computing device in accordance with anexemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

As shown in FIG. 4, a caller 302 at a client device 202, such as an IVCsystem 304, can generate a request to initiate a video conferencingsession, which is received at a server 220, such as a SessionEstablishment Server 236 (Step 402). At Step 404, the SessionEstablishment Server 236 can route the video conferencing session to thecaller/callee IVC systems 304, 308 identified in the request incombination with the Video Bridging Server 230 and the SessionInitiation Protocol Server 232. The Session Establishment Server 236 candetermine a video conferencing mode for each participant caller/calleeclient device 202 (Step 406). The Session Establishment Server 236 canconfigure one or more functional pipeline modules to receive and processthe conversational data from the caller/callee IVC systems 304, 308according to configured Video Conferencing modes of each client device202 (Step 408). At step 410, the Session Establishment Server 236 canroute the received conversational data from the caller IVC system 304 toone or more Application Servers 234 for processing and translation ofthe data according to a Video Conferencing Mode of each callee clientdevice 202. The one or more Application Servers 234 can send theprocessed conversational data to each caller/callee IVC system 304, 308in combination with the Video Bridging Server 230 according to theconfigured Video Conference modes of each IVC system 304, 308 (Step412). The Video Conferencing Session can be terminated at one or moreparticipating IVC systems 304, 308 by the Session Establishment Server236 based on a request initiated by one or more of the IVC systems 304,308 or by the Session Establishment Server 236 according to provider oraccount settings.

FIG. 5 illustrates a method 500 for conducting an inclusive videoconference (IVC) at a remote computing device in accordance with anexemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

As shown in FIG. 4, the method 500 includes generating, in a processingdevice 104 of a computing device such as the IVC system 304 of a caller302, a first graphical interface for initiating a video conferencingsession (Step 502). The processing device 104 identifies a first videoconferencing mode for receiving conversational data from a caller duringthe video conferencing session (Step 504). According to an exemplaryembodiments, identifying the first video conferencing mode can bedetermined based on a manual input or selection of the user via aninterface, a prior video conferencing mode from a session history, apreferred video conferencing mode from a user preferences setting, orautomatically prior to or during a video conferencing session. The IVCsystem 304 or the caller 302 can leverage or access the processingcapabilities of one or more servers 220 on the network 108, 110, such asthe one or more servers shown in FIG. 4. For example, the IVC system 304can receive, via the at least one input device 102, a voice or speechinput either before the video conferencing session or as conversationaldata from the caller during the video conferencing session anddetermine, via the processing device 104, the first video conferencingmode as a normal mode, for example, from analysis or recognition of thevoice or speech input of the user. In another example, the IVC system304 can receive, via the at least one input device 102 including amicrophone, a voice or speech input either before the video conferencingsession or as conversational data from the caller during the videoconferencing session, and generate, via the processing device 104, atranscript of the voice or speech input. The processing device 104 candetermine the first video conferencing mode in a preferred language, forexample, based on a linguistic analysis of the transcript.

In yet another example, the IVC system 304 can capture, via the at leastone input device 102 including a camera or image sensor, one or morevideo frames of a user either before the video conferencing session oras conversational data from a caller during the video conferencingsession. The processing device 104 can process the one or video framesto recognize sign language of a user and determine the first videoconferencing mode as a sign language mode from the recognized signlanguage.

In another example, the IVC system 304 can detect, via the processingdevice 104, whether a specified type of the one or more input devices102 is connected to the IVC system 304. For example, the specified typeof the one or more input device can include a Braille sensory device(e.g., Braille-enabled touch interface) or other device used for aparticular type of impairment. The processing device 104 can determinethe first video conferencing mode, such as a vision impaired mode, basedon the connection of the specified type of input device 102.

The processing device 104 determines a second video conferencing modefor outputting conversational data to a callee during the videoconferencing session (Step 506). The processing device 104 activates avideo conferencing interface for the video conferencing sessionaccording to first video conferencing mode of the caller 302 and thesecond video conferencing mode of the callee 306 (Step 508). The IVCsystem 304 of the caller 302 receives conversational data from thecaller 302 over or via the network 208, 210 in a format associated withthe first video conferencing session (Step 510). The processing device104 of the IVC system 304 of the caller 302 can process theconversational data for presentation to the callee in a formatassociated with the second video conferencing mode. According to anexemplary embodiment, the IVC system 304 can leverage the processingcapabilities provided by one or more servers 220 on the network 208, 210(see FIG. 4). For example, the caller IVC system 304 can send theconversational data to the network 208, 210 or access one or moreapplications executed by one or more servers 220 on the network 208, 210to process the conversational data by converting it to a format suitablefor presentation to the callee according to the second videoconferencing mode at the IVC system 308 of the callee 306 (Step 512).

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of a hardware configuration 600 operable togenerate an inclusive video conferencing system and method in accordancewith an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. It should beunderstood that exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure can beimplemented using one or more hardware configurations 600 having anycombination of features, functions, and/or components described in thediscussion that follows and connected to communicate over a network.

The hardware configuration 600 can include a processor (e.g., processingdevice) 610, a memory (e.g., memory device) 620, a storage device 630,and an input/output device 640. Each of the components 610, 620, 630,and 640 can, for example, be interconnected using a system bus 650. Theprocessor 610 can be capable of processing instructions for executionwithin the hardware configuration 600. In one implementation, theprocessor 610 can be a single-threaded processor. In anotherimplementation, the processor 610 can be a multi-threaded processor. Theprocessor 610 can be capable of processing instructions stored in thememory 620 or on the storage device 630.

The memory 620 can store information within the hardware configuration600. In one implementation, the memory 620 can be a computer-readablemedium. In one implementation, the memory 620 can be a volatile memoryunit. In another implementation, the memory 620 can be a non-volatilememory unit.

In some implementations, the storage device 630 can be capable ofproviding mass storage for the hardware configuration 600. In oneimplementation, the storage device 630 can be a computer-readablemedium. In various different implementations, the storage device 630can, for example, include a hard disk device, an optical disk device,flash memory or some other large capacity storage device. In otherimplementations, the storage device 630 can be a device external to thehardware configuration 600.

The input/output device 640 provides input/output operations for thehardware configuration 600. In embodiments, the input/output device 540can include one or more of a network interface device (e.g., an Ethernetcard), a serial communication device (e.g., an RS-232 port), one or moreuniversal serial bus (USB) interfaces (e.g., a USB 2.0 port), one ormore wireless interface devices (e.g., an 802.11 card), and/or one ormore interfaces for outputting video and/or data services to a clientdevice 202 of FIG. 1 (e.g., television, mobile device, tablet, computer,STB, etc.). In embodiments, the input/output device can include driverdevices configured to send communications to, and receive communicationsfrom one or more networks (e.g., subscriber network, WAN, local network,etc.).

According to exemplary embodiments the functional operations describedherein can be provided in digital electronic circuitry, or in computersoftware, firmware, or hardware, including the structures disclosed inthis specification and their structural equivalents, or in combinationsof one or more of them. Some embodiments of the subject matter of thisdisclosure, and components thereof, can be realized by softwareinstructions that upon execution cause one or more processing devices tocarry out processes and functions described above. Further embodimentsof the subject matter described in this specification can be implementedas one or more computer program products, i.e., one or more modules ofcomputer program instructions encoded on a tangible program carrier forexecution by, or to control the operation of, data processing apparatus.

One or more exemplary computer programs (also known as a program,software, software application, script, or code) for executing thefunctions of the exemplary embodiments disclosed herein, can be writtenin any form of programming language, including compiled or interpretedlanguages, or declarative or procedural languages, and it can bedeployed in any form, including as a stand-alone program or as a module,component, subroutine, or other unit suitable for use in a computingenvironment. A computer program does not necessarily correspond to afile in a file system. A program can be stored in a portion of a filethat holds other programs or data (e.g., one or more scripts stored in amarkup language document), in a single file dedicated to the program inquestion, or in multiple coordinated files (e.g., files that store oneor more modules, sub programs, or portions of code). A computer programcan be deployed to be executed on one computer or on multiple computersthat are located at one site or distributed across multiple sites andinterconnected by a communication network.

In some embodiments, the processes and logic flows described in thisspecification are performed by one or more programmable processorsexecuting one or more computer programs to perform functions byoperating on input data and generating output thereby tying the processto a particular machine (e.g., a machine programmed to perform theprocesses described herein). The processes and logic flows can also beperformed by, and apparatus can also be implemented as, special purposelogic circuitry, e.g., an FPGA (field programmable gate array) or anASIC (application specific integrated circuit). Computer readable mediasuitable for storing computer program instructions and data include allforms of non-volatile memory, media and memory devices, including by wayof example semiconductor memory devices (e.g., EPROM, EEPROM, and flashmemory devices); magnetic disks (e.g., internal hard disks or removabledisks); magneto optical disks; and CD ROM and DVD ROM disks. Accordingto exemplary embodiments, an apparatus or device embodying the inventionmay be in the form of a gateway, an access point, a set-top box or otherstandalone device, or may be incorporated in a television or othercontent playing apparatus, or other device, and the scope of the presentinvention is not intended to be limited with respect to such forms.

Components of some embodiments may be implemented as Integrated Circuits(IC), Application-Specific Integrated Circuits (ASIC), or Large ScaleIntegrated circuits (LSI), system LSI, super LSI, or ultra LSIcomponents. Each of the processing units can be many single-functioncomponents, or can be one component integrated using the technologiesdescribed above. Components may also be implemented as a specificallyprogrammed general purpose processor, CPU, a specialized microprocessorsuch as Digital Signal Processor that can be directed by programinstructions, a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) that can beprogrammed after manufacturing, or a reconfigurable processor. Some orall of the functions may be implemented by such a processor while someor all of the functions may be implemented by circuitry in any of theforms discussed above.

It is also contemplated that implementations and components ofembodiments can be done with any newly arising technology that mayreplace any of the above implementation technologies.

While this specification contains many specific implementation details,these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of anyinvention or of what may be claimed, but rather as descriptions offeatures that may be specific to particular embodiments of particularinventions. Certain features that are described in this specification inthe context of separate embodiments can also be implemented incombination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features thatare described in the context of a single embodiment can also beimplemented in multiple embodiments separately or in any suitablesubcombination. Moreover, although features may be described above asacting in certain combinations and even initially claimed as such, oneor more features from a claimed combination can in some cases be excisedfrom the combination, and the claimed combination may be directed to asubcombination or variation of a subcombination.

Similarly, where operations are depicted in the drawings in a particularorder, this should not be understood as requiring that such operationsbe performed in the particular order shown or in sequential order unlessotherwise noted, or that all illustrated operations be performed, toachieve desirable results. In certain circumstances, multitasking andparallel processing may be advantageous. Moreover, the separation ofvarious system components in the embodiments described above should notbe understood as requiring such separation in all embodiments, and itshould be understood that the described program components and systemscan generally be integrated together in a single software product orpackaged into multiple software products.

While the preceding discussion used Wi-Fi and/or Ethernet communicationprotocols as illustrative examples, in other embodiments a wide varietyof communication protocols and, more generally, adaptive balancingtechniques may be used. Thus, the adaptive balancing technique may beused in a variety of network interfaces. Furthermore, while some of theoperations in the preceding embodiments were implemented in hardware orsoftware, in general the operations in the preceding embodiments can beimplemented in a wide variety of configurations and architectures.Therefore, some or all of the operations in the preceding embodimentsmay be performed in hardware, in software or both. For example, at leastsome of the operations in the adaptive balancing technique may beimplemented using program instructions, operating system (such as adriver for interface circuit) or in firmware in an interface circuit.Alternatively or additionally, at least some of the operations in theadaptive balancing technique may be implemented in a physical layer,such as hardware in an interface circuit.

The preceding description may refer to ‘some embodiments.’ Note that‘some embodiments’ describes a subset of all of the possibleembodiments, but does not always specify the same subset of embodiments.Moreover, note that numerical values in the preceding embodiments areillustrative examples of some embodiments. In other embodiments of thecommunication technique, different numerical values may be used.

The foregoing description is intended to enable any person skilled inthe art to make and use the disclosure and is provided in the context ofa particular application and its requirements. Moreover, the foregoingdescriptions of embodiments of the present disclosure have beenpresented for purposes of illustration and description only. They arenot intended to be exhaustive or to limit the present disclosure to theforms disclosed. Accordingly, many modifications and variations will beapparent to practitioners skilled in the art, and the general principlesdefined herein may be applied to other embodiments and applicationswithout departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.Additionally, the discussion of the preceding embodiments is notintended to limit the present disclosure. Thus, the present disclosureis not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown, but is to beaccorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and featuresdisclosed herein.

Having described the invention in detail, it will be understood thatsuch detail need not be strictly adhered to, but that additional changesand modifications may suggest themselves to one skilled in the art.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method comprising: generating, in a processingdevice of a computing device, a first graphical interface for initiatinga video conferencing session; identifying, via at least one input deviceof the computing device, a first video conferencing mode for a callerusing the first graphical interface; determining, via the processingdevice of the customer premise device, a second video conferencing modefor a callee participating in the video conferencing session at a remotecomputing device; activating, in the processing device of the computingdevice, a video conferencing interface according to at least the secondvideo conferencing mode of the callee; receiving, via the at least oneinput device of the computing device, conversational data from thecaller in a format associated with the first video conferencing modeduring the video conferencing session; processing, via the processingdevice of the computing device, the conversational data for presentationto the callee in a format associated with the second video conferencingmode; and sending, via an output device of the customer premise device,the processed conversational data to the remote computing device of thecallee.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the first videoconferencing mode comprises: receiving, via the at least one inputdevice of the customer premise device, user data identifying the firstvideo conferencing mode.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein identifyingthe first video conferencing mode comprises: determining, via theprocessing device of the customer premise device, the first videoconferencing mode from data included in a user profile stored in amemory location.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the firstvideo conferencing mode comprises: determining, via the processingdevice of the customer premise device, the first video conferencing modefrom a last video conferencing mode in a memory location
 5. The methodof claim 1, wherein determining the second video conferencing modecomprises: obtaining, via a network interface of customer premisedevice, data from the remote device identifying the second videoconferencing mode at the remote computing device.
 6. The method of claim1, wherein identifying the first video conferencing mode comprises:receiving, via the at least one input device of the computing device, avoice or speech input as the conversational data from the caller; anddetermining, via the processing device of the customer premise device,the first video conferencing mode is a normal mode from the voice orspeech input of the caller.
 7. The method of claim 1, whereinidentifying the first video conferencing mode comprises: receiving, viathe at least one input device of the computing device, a voice or speechinput as the conversational data from the caller; generating, via theprocessing device of the computing device, a transcript of the voice orspeech input; and determining, via the processing device of the customerpremise device, a native language of the first video conferencing modefrom the transcript.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying thefirst video conferencing mode comprises: capturing, via the at least oneinput device of the computing device, one or more video frames as theconversational data from the caller; processing, via the processingdevice of the computing device, the one or video frames to recognizesign language of a user; and determining, via the processing device ofthe customer premise device, the first video conferencing mode from therecognized sign language.
 9. The method of claim 1, wherein identifyingthe first video conferencing mode comprises: detecting, via theprocessing device of the computing device, whether a specified type ofinput device is connected to the computing device; and determining, viathe processing device of the customer premise device, the first videoconferencing mode based on the connection of the specified type of inputdevice to the computing device being detected.
 10. The method of claim1, wherein activating the video conferencing interface comprises:generating, via the processing device of the customer premise device, awindow which outputs conversational data according to the second videoconferencing mode of the remote computing device.
 11. The method ofclaim 1, wherein processing the conversational data comprises:translating the conversational data from a first language to a secondlanguage.
 12. The method of claim 1, wherein processing theconversational data comprises: transcribing the conversational data fromlive speech to text.
 13. The method of claim 1, wherein processing theconversational data comprises: converting the conversational data fromsign language to text.
 14. The method of claim 1, wherein processing theconversational data comprises: converting the conversational data fromtext or live speech to sign language video animation.
 15. A system,comprising: one or more input devices configured to receiveconversational data according to a first video conferencing mode anddata from a remote computing device identifying a second conferencingmode; a processing device configured to activate a video conferencinginterface according to the second video conferencing mode of the remotecomputing device and process the conversational data for presentation ina format compatible with the second video conferencing mode; and anoutput device configured to send the processed conversational data tothe remote computing device.
 16. The system of claim 15, wherein theprocessing device is configured to generate a transcript of a voice orspeech input of the received conversational data, and determine a nativelanguage of the first video conferencing mode from the transcript. 17.The system of claim 16, wherein the processing device is configured toprocess one or video frames received as the conversational data andrecognize sign language of a caller from the one or more video frames,and determine the first video conferencing mode is a hearing impaired orspeech impaired mode from the recognized sign language.
 18. The systemof claim 16, wherein the processing device is configured to determinethe first video conferencing mode is a normal mode from voice or speechreceived as the conversational data.
 19. The system of claim 16, whereinthe processing device is configured to detect whether a specified typeof the one or more input device is connected and determine the firstvideo conferencing mode based on the detected of the specified type ofthe one or more input devices.
 20. A non-transitory computer readablemedium storing program code which causes a processing device to performa method comprising the steps of: generating, in a processing device ofa computing device, a first graphical interface for initiating a videoconferencing session; receiving, via at least one input device of thecomputing device, a first video conferencing mode for a caller using thefirst graphical interface; determining, via the processing device of thecustomer premise device, a second video conferencing mode for a calleeparticipating in the video conferencing session at a remote device;activating, in the processing device of the computing device, a videoconferencing interface according to the second video conferencing modeof the callee; receiving, via the at least one input device of thecomputing device, conversational data from the caller in a formatassociated with the first video conferencing mode during the videoconferencing session; processing, via the processing device of thecomputing device, the conversational data for presentation to the calleein a format associated with the second video conferencing mode; andsending, via an output device of the customer premise device, theprocessed conversational data to the remote computing device.